Monday, 14th October 2019, 12.5pm.

CEAC accuses NZTA management of extravagance and calls Gov’t to reset NZTA.

National's claim that things only went south when Phil Twyford took charge of transport is not supported by us at CEAC and we see that this begun in 2008 as we witnessed the change then while working as a partnership group with NZTA then.

CEAC is again not really astonished at the Government’s release on 12th of an investigation of NZTA – under “NZTA's high cost of regulatory failure and a bumpy road to reform” https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/400811/nzta-s-high-cost-of-regulatory-failure-and-a-bumpy-road-to-reform

• We say this is clearly showing a continued internal ‘culture of extravagance’ among the management of NZTA’.

• We have long been feeling abused by this agency - due to our residential community’s long fight against this NZTA Agency for mitigation protection against increased their road actives in our Napier residential zone, - of their truck noise – vibration – air pollution emissions threatening public community health and wellbeing.

• NZTA management have since 2008 been saying they have no funding available for community mitigation against their noisy road actives.

• Now we witness NZTA are paying quote; “NZTA is paying some very fancy headline rates to contractors - up to almost half a million dollars a year, and some have been kept on for years on high hourly or daily rates. The agency also doubled the size of its PR department last year, from 30 to 60 people, at significant public expense.”

• Our community ‘dignity and respect’ was abused by this NZTA who as a SOE have a lawful ‘duty of care for our health and wellbeing’ in a dignified and respectful manner but instead NZTA have used offensive terms like they plan “to enforce” their will in roading reports.

• Off the back of scathing reviews into mass regulatory failings this week, the Labour-led government promised to pull the agency up by its bootlaces - but at a cost and we contend that the whole NZTA management must be reduced and Management that have in the past shown a lack of community support be shown the door, and others made more of a caring inclusive operaters to work for all the tax/ratepayers to protect those communities it operates its transport in residential areas.

• media today regarding their concerns about ‘NZTA’ activities.

This is our goal to reform NZTA to become partners with the community it operates in not be aggressive combatants as they are now.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/400811/nzta-s-high-cost-of-regulatory-failure-and-a-bumpy-road-to-reform

‘NZTA's high cost of regulatory failure and a bumpy road to reform’

We three days ago released a report showing NZTA was using 'obstructive tactics" here is the details.

Minister of Transport Phil Twyford is now clearly using appropriate measures to examine Management of this out of control public funded agency.

the heat on NZTA quote; 'obstructive tactics" “CEAC supports Minister Twyford reset of NZTA"

Our community organisation NGO rocky past history with NZTA 2008 to 2019.

• CEAC and NHTCF has never been fairly treated by NZTA through all our attempted efforts to have NZTA give fair urban mitigation from truck freight traffic since 2008 to 2019.
• CEAC/NHTCF had worked well as a community “partner” with NZTA‘s former agency “Transit NZ” from 1999 to 2007.

• NZTA has now used 'obstructive tactics against CEAC after we requested detailed operational procedures under OIA requested documents from NZTA in July 2019 - two months ago.

• After weeks of no feedback ‘inclusion discussions’ with the agency we received a brief letter of refusal to our request for OIA documents for NZTA activities regarding their operations from 1995 to 2019 in Hawkes Bay.

• We say this was a reasonable request; - as we were beginning a study of NZTA activities inside our ‘Napier urban zones to Napier port’ on behalf of the whole community being affected by truck gridlock noise/vibration/air pollution, causing ‘sleep disruption,’ and threats to residential health and wellbeing, loss of property values and enjoyment of life.

• We requested the information with an explanation; “that we were reviewing the operation of NZTA with regard to the new rules set out by the new “community wellbeing act 2019”.

• Fact; NZTA had never committed in their policies to begin inclusion of the Government policy of a new rule enshrined in law under the ‘Community wellbeing act’ 2019.

This new law was designed to make NZTA and other agencies responsible for planning for Community health and wellbeing” which was the principal reason for us reviewing NZTA operations today and without receiving any response we regard the NZTA as acting with 'obstructive tactics" to the detriment of our community’s health and wellbeing.

Also today we heard a positive statement on ‘Magic – drive at 4.40pm with news hubs Ryan Bridge interview with Phil Twyford.

Mr Twyford stated that he is directing NZTA policy to begin a slowing down of all transport speeds for road safety, - to lowered settings in cities and rural areas and this will be positive for us all as slowing trucks brings lower noise/vibrations/air pollution and accidents/deaths. We will be following this policy as it unfolds.

The ‘Road Transport Forum, (RTF) does not want lower speeds.

Response from the trucking lobbyist Nick Leggett quote;
Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett said those proposals, which included recovering a fairer proportion of costs from a wider group of road users, could see the a pendulum swing into over-regulation and more expense put on road users
"We're concerned that throwing more money into regulation will see investment in road maintenance suffer."

Perhaps Mr Leggett needs to agree to meet with us finally to finally discuss our community issues?

Fact; in May 2019 We called Nick Leggett and asked for a meeting with him and after discussion with him he never set up a requested meeting with him.

So now we have those ‘heavier trucks’ already everywhere on our roads; - and driving folks out of their homes and harming their public health so what do we do about our roads that are falling apart in front of our eyes daily now and make communities safe to live in?

Our only viable option is to use rail.

Now we see NZTA filling pockets of contractors/managers with our public funds while residential communities needing mitigation for NZTA activities are not being addressed; - so Government now must act to clean up NZTA.

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